Steam-engine.



No. 683,688. Patented on. I, l90l. L. HOLLINGSWORTH, 1R. STEAM ENGINE.

(Application filed Aug. 10, 1894.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

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t a m No. 683,688. 8818mm! Out. I, l90l. L. uoumaswomu, IR. STEAMENGINE.

' (Application filed Aug. 10, 1894.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Patented Oct. I, I90l.

R I. um T R D w S G N L L D H L am 3 3 8 6 0 N STEAM ENGINE.

(Application filed Aug. 10, 1894.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

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THE "cams PSTERS ca, mm'o-utuow wAsnmurun. n. g.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOFTUS HOLLINGSWORTH, JR, OF SCOTCl-IPLAINS, NE\V JERSEY.

STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 6'83,688, dated October1, 1 901.

Application filed August 10, 1894.

To an whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LOFTUS HOLLINGS- WORTH, Jr., a citizen of the UnitedStates, re siding at Scotchplains, county of Union, and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSteam-Engines, of which the followin g is aspe'cification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

In steam-engines, more particularly of the horizontal type, considerabledifficulty has been experienced in adapting the usualreleasing-valve-gear construction to any but a very moderate rotativespeed from the fact that the valves are usually heavy, the travel orswing of the releasing-gear long, and consequently comparatively rapid,the connections to the dash-pot indirect, working with consider Figs. 1,2, and 3.

atmospheric pressure only, and hence the parts comparatively large,heavy, and slowaeting. For these reasons I have devised the Valve-gearherein described, which is simple,compact,directly connected, short-travel, quickacting, and controlling sufficient area for the freeadmission of steam. I have also devised various other novel features ofcon-' struction which when taken together render the apparatus completeand perfect as to running.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l represents a plan view of ahorizontal engine embodying my invention and showing the operativemechanism. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view, partly in section, of thecylinder and operative mechanism. Fig. 3 is a section on the lines m 00of Fig. 2, showing the valve connections and a more detailed view of-theoperative mechanism. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the releasing-gearshown in Fig. 3. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a novel valve-rod connectionthat I have found very advantageous and efiicacious. Fig. 4 represents asection on line 4 4 of Fig. 3 enlarged to the scale of Fig. 4. Fig. 5 isan enlarged sectional View of a novel construction of dash-pot, andFigs. 6 and 7 are views ofan improved construction in governors. v

Referring now to the'drawings, we will first As the construction of thecylinder is novel, I have shown two sections thereof taken at difierentpoints; as Figs. 2 and 3. The cylinder is provided Serial No. 519,915.(No model.)

at or near' each end with ports a a. The inlet I and exhaust E arepreferably cast in tegral with the cylinder proper. Steam-chests I)"care formed by semicircular casings b 0 attached to the endsof thecylinder proper in any suitable manner and to each other by means offlanges b 0 The part of the cylinder bearing the ports a constitutes aseat for a curved slide-valve d, having ports a corresponding to theports a. The part of the cylinder bearing the ports a is engaged by acurved slide-valve d, having ports 6. The valves cl cl are isolated fromeach other by the plugs ff or in other suitable manner. In the cylindershown in the drawings the upper set of valves are for inlet of steam andthe lower for exhaust. other end of the cylinder are arranged in thesame manner as'shown in Figs-2 and 3, but operate alternately throughthe intervention of suitable mechanism-21 e., the inlet-valve operateswith its diagonally opposite exhaust or the exhaust on the opposite endof the cylinder, and vice versa. Each inlet slide-valve is operated bymeans of an arm 1, attached to the valve and connected with a suitablelink 3, which in turn is operated by a bellcrank 6, eccentric 17, andshaft 13, which is directly rotated by the main pulley-shaft A of theengine. Each exhaust slide-valve is operated in a similar manner by arm2, link 4, bell-crank 9, eccentric 18, shaft 13, and main pulley-shaftA. 1 I

Referring now toFig. 1, I will describe the operative mechanism of theengine. The main pulley-shaft A has attached at a suitable point abevel-gear 11, which meshes with a gear 12 and operates shaft 13. Therelation of the gears is preferably about three to one. Shaft 13' runsthe entire length of the engine and operates the valves thereof by theintervention of suitable mechanism, which I will now describe. At asuitable point on the shaft 13 is attached a spur-gear 14, that Thevalves at the" necessary power to operate the valves and also to drivethe governor at a high speed to render it more effective and sensitive.Suitably secured to the shaft 16 are eccentrics 17, one for eachinlet-valve,and each provided with an eccentric-strap suitably attachedto rod 7, which is pivoted to and operates bellcrank 6, which in turnoperates valve-socket 5 through clutch 20, eccentrics 18, one for eachexhaust-valve and each provided with set or admission-valveshave somereleasing mechanism controlled by the governor,whereby when the properamount of steam has been admitted to complete the stroke of the pistonthe valves will be released and quickly closed by the dash-pots,whichwill be described hereinafter. This is accomplished by a releasing-gearconstructed and operated as follows: On the valve-stem 3 is rigidlysecured a socket 5, which is prolonged and is provided with a hardenedblock 5 and a leather-faced tongue 5 projecting from the under side ofthe socket 5. .The bell-crank 6 vibrates on a hollow shaft through whichthe shaft 21, whichis operated by the governor, penetrates, thusproviding a long bearing. On the shaft 21 is a crank 21, connecting witha link 21", slotted longitudinally, as shown at z, to receive a pin orstud .2 on a crank 22, which is rigidly attached to a pivot 22, thatpenetrates the bellcrank arm and is rigidly attached to the latch 20.The said latch is provided with a hardened block 20, which is adapted toabut against the hardened block 5 and operate the valve-stem. tion istransmitted to the bell-crank 6 by the eccentric 17 through theeccentric-rod 7, the bell-crank to the latch 20, and in turn to thevalve. It is evident that the bell-crank arm and the link 21 movethrough different arcs and that when these arcs intersect the latch 20and block 20 will be raised from contact with the socket 5 and block 5and the valve be released from its driving mechanism and closed by thedash-pot. This will also occur whenever the motion of the governorshaftis affected by a change of load on the main pulley-shaft and is asafeguard against the running away of the engine. The se ment 19,striking the leather-faced tongue 5", I

will on the return of the bell-crank arm in case the dash-pot refuses towork return the valve to its first position. This recovery wouldnaturally be very racking to the valve mechanism of the admission-valvesunless some means for cushioning its recovery be provided. For thispurposeI have devised An oscillating or vibratory mo an improveddash-pot, (shown in Fig. 3 and en'- larged in Fig. 5,) which is asfollows: The connecting-link or valve-stem 3 has secured thereto ahollow plunger of preferably two diameters, 23, slightly larger than thestem and, 24, considerably larger. The larger, 24, slides in a pot andis centered by a serrated bearingsurface 25. (Shown more particularly inFig. 5.) The object of the serrations is the gradual closing olf of thefree circulation of the steam and gradually increasing the pressurebehind the plunger and partially absorbing the momentum of the plungeruntil the'face of the plunger reaches the point where no more steam canescape except by pass-port 20*, which is controlled and adjusted by thescrew 26, as in the usual vacuum dash-pot construction. The portion 23of the plunger is made somewhat larger than the stem to allow for anyslight springing of the stem in oscillating the valves.

To regulate and to maintain a nearly constant speed of the engineagainst any variation of load and steam-pressure and to preclude allpossibility of a runaway, I have devised a governor of improvedconstruction. (Illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7.) Rigidly secured to theshaft 13 is a screw-thread of coarse pitch 34, on which and capable ofrotation is the internally-threaded hub 33. Projecting from said hub arearms 27, 27, 31, and 32. At the extremities of these arms 31 32 arepivotally attached the bell-cranks 31 and 32, which carry on each oftheir horizontal arms the governor-balls 29 30 and on each of theirvertical arms the friction-rollers 31 32". The other two arms 27 an 27are rigidly attached to the inertia-Weight 28. Mounted on shaft 13 andcapable of a sliding motion parallel to the axis of said shaft isa'spring-pressed sleeve 38, said sleeve being in contact with andreceiving motion from the friction-rollers 31 32", the contact betweensaid rollers and said sleeve being maintained by the spring 51, thecompression of said spring being adjusted by the nut 38. It will benoticed that the governor is not rigidly attached to the shaft 13, butisloosely mounted on the thread 34: and is driven by the'springs 36 37,which have one end rigidly secured to the hub 33 and the other in a case35, which is rigidly secured to the shaft 13. Thus the governor isdriven by the shaft 13 through the intervention of the springs 36 37.The operation of the said springs will be described in connectionwith'the operation of the governor, which is as follows: When the engineis starting, the governor-balls 29 30 are at their inmost position andthe bell-crank arms 331 -32 are against the pins 31 32".

The parts remain in this position until within perhaps two or threerevolutions of the running speed of the engine. Then the governor balls29 3 0 begin to move and assume their running position when the enginereaches its normal or running speed. In case ofa change from the normalspeed of the engine-=say ceases too fast-the shaft 13 will beaccelerated; but as the speed of the governor cannot instantly bechanged on account of the heavy rim 28, which is driven by the springs36 37, the entire governor will be advanced along the shaft 13 on thescrewthread 34 in a direction to produce an earlier cut-off of steam tothe cylinder through the operation of the following-describedconnections between the sleeve 38 and the shaft 21: A col lar 3S looselyembraces the said sleeve and a link 38 connects said collar with one armof a bell-crank lever 39, the other arm of which carries a toothedsegment 40, in mesh with abevel-gear 40 on the shaft 21. Almostinstantly the governor-balls will assume a new position, due to thegreater centrifugal force arising from the acceleration of the shaft 13,and maintain the early cut-on of steam-supply. In event of the enginerunning below its normal speed the action just described will bereversed. The effect of centrifugal force upon the governor-balls iscounterbalanced by the action of the springs 49 50.

In case of accident, should springs 49 and 50break,the governor-ballswould fly outward to their extreme position and produce an early cut-offof steam or out off the steam entirely, thus stopping the engine. Shouldsprings 36 and 37 break, the governor would stop, but shaft 13 wouldcontinue to revolve and screw 34 to advance the entire governor alongsaid shaft and cut off the steam entirely. Should shaft 13 or gears 11or 12 break, the engine would immediately stop, as the source of motionto the shaft 13' and to the governor and valves would be removed. Hencethe engine would stop. Thus it is almost impossible that a runaway occurand there is no necessity for the safety devices now in use.

An improved construction of valve -rod connection whereby I may removeeither in let or exhaust valves for repair or examination withoutdisturbing the adjustment of the valve-gear is shown in Fig. 3, andenlarged in Figs. 4 and 4. The slide-valves d d have projecting arms 1and 2, which have rigidly attached thereto pins 41, the said pins andarms being perforated or slotted to receive the valve-stems 3 and 4, asclearly shown in Fig. 4. Mounted on the valve-stems 3 and 4 are thebearing boxes or brasses 42 and 43, which have their hearing on the pins41 and are adjusted and held in place by the nuts 44 and 45. Thus if wewish to remove either the upper or lower valve it is only necessary toremove one-half the steam-chest cover, take off the nuts 44, and slidethe valve around in the direction of its seat until it is free toremove.

Having described the mechanical features of my invention, I will nowdescribe its operation. Steam at nearly boiler-pressure is maintained inthe chamber 1) and in a similar chamber on the other end of the cylinderwhen the engine is running, passes through the ports 6 of the valve 01,and enters the cylinder through the cylinder-ports a, causing the pistonto make one stroke. As the inlet for steam in the present instance takesplace in the upper set of valves and the exhaust in the lower, it isobvious that the ports, similar in construction to the ports a e in theother head of the cylinder, are open to allow the exhaust of steam infront of the piston when the steam enters the ports a e. Thus we seethat one set of inletand one set of exhaust valves act simultaneously.This is accomplished by adjusting the eccentrics which are operated bythe shaft 16, and which operate the valves in both ends of the cylinder.The other working parts of the engine have been described herein,but,brietly,the piston and connectingrod set the main pulley-shaft A inrotation and the main pulley-shaft in turn operates the valves throughthe gears 11 and 12, shaft 13, gears 14 15, eccentrics 17 18 for the setof valves in one end of the cylinder and similar eccentrics for the setin the other end of the cylinder, and suitably-connected bell-cranks andlinks complete the operative mechanism. The speed is regulated andcontrolled by a governor located at a convenient point on the shaft 13.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-- 1. In a steam-engine, the combination of a cylinderhaving circumferential curved inlet and exhaust valve seats, independentcurvedinlet and exhaust valves engaging said seats, and operative meansfor oscillatingsaid valves independently of each other.

2. In a steam-engine, the combination of a cylinder havingcircumferential cu rved valveseats, curved valves engaging said seats,means for operating the valves, and steamchests secured to the cylinderover the valveseats.

3. In a steam-engine, the combination of a cylinder havingcircumferential curved valve seats, semicircular steam-chests clamped tothe cylinder and to each other over said valveseats, curved valvesengaging the said seats, and means for operating the valves.

4. In a steam=engine, a cylinder having at its ends supply and exhauststeam chests of semicircular form and circular valve-seats, pins orplugs inserted between the chests to separate them from each other,provision being thus made for machining the valve-seats round and round,curved valves fitting the seats, and valve-actuating mechanism.

5. In a steam-engine, a valve-rod connection comprising a projection orarm on the valve carrying a perforated cross-pin, a valverod extendingthrough the said pin, bearingboxes on said rod on opposite sides of thepin and arranged to clamp the same between them, and means for adjustingand holding said boxes in place.

6. In a steam-engine, a valve-rod connection comprising a projection onthe valve carrying a cross-pin, the said pin and arm being taehed tosaid arm and perforated or slotted 18 bored through to receive thevalve-rod, bearto receive the valve-stem, brasses or hearinging-boxes onthe valve-rod on opposite sides boxes abutting against said pins andholding of the arm and constructed and arranged to the arm itself inposition, substantially as set 5 engage the same and its pin, and meansfor forth.

adjusting and holding said boxes. LOFTUS HOLLINGSVVORTH, JR;

7. In a steam-engine, a valve-rod connec- \Vitnessesz' tion thatconsists of the combination of an LOUISA M. HOLLINGSW'ORTH,

arm attached to the valve, a pin or pins at- 1 Y LOFTUS F.HOLLINGSWORTH.

